TaoismReligious Tolerance.com is a well-produced resource about
the varieties of religion. The article on Taoism is a valuable guide to
the contemporary influences of Lao Tzu.

Lao
Tzu

In sixth century BCE
China, an important philosophical work was written. It is attributed to
a philosopher who is called Lao Tzu, meaning 'Old Sage.' Scholars
differ over who Lao Tzu was and even whether the Tao Te Ching was written
by a single author, as opposed to a body of writings written by many and
passed down through generations. Surely the Tao te Ching reads like a
well-organized work with a focused intention, so it is reasonable to presume
the single author theory, at least for the sake of discussion. Lao Tzu
was contemporary with another great Chinese philosopher, Confucius. between
them, these two men set the basis for Chinese intellectual, religious,
and political culture.

The
Tao (also
spelled in and usually pronouncedDao)
means The PathorThe
Way.
Ching means Law or Power.
Te means Virtue or Goodness.
Taken together, the Tao Te Ching can
be read as The Way and Law of Natural Goodness.

Now, there is one
big problem with the above translation of the book's title: Lao Tzu intended
the book to be about a topic that cannot be explained in words at all.
The first lines of the book are;

The Tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

Perhaps this sounds vague and
mystical to you. But consider what these opening statements might mean
and be based on - here is an interpretation.

Lao Tzu intends to address
the eternal way, not a particular way of doing things that can be compared
to others, but the way of the infinite universe itself. At the onset Lao
Tzu shows that he regards the entire reality (all that has, does, and
will exist) as being ordered into some eternal pattern or process. Everything
in existence must be subject to that eternal way.

Language describes and expresses
aspects of existence. While language is a powerful and flexible system,
it may have limits. One such limit is the description of the entire reality.
Now, we might think; "Why should there be a limit? In theory everything
can be described, so with enough descriptions, language could cover the
entire reality." This is a tempting thought. It is simply a matter
of scale. Even though it may not be practical to try to create an infinite
description of an infinite reality, it does seem possible in theory.

Yet, it must be noted that
language consists of sounds, words, thoughts, and ideas. All of these,
the building blocks of language, are contained within reality and are
subject to it's processes. If language were to describe everything, it
would have to describe itself as well. And that attempt would have to
be captured in language also, and so on and on. That is, the effort to
describe everything would create an infinite loop (or regress) that never
completes itself. Directly put: language cannot fully describe all of
reality because language is a part of that reality, and the part cannot
contain the whole.

Thus, when Lao Tzu begins his
investigations into the way of reality by warning that; "The name
that can be named is not the eternal name" he is pointing out
that there is a limit to language and a limit to thought. In the end,
the lessons of the Tao te Ching must be experienced and lived. Throughout
his work, Lao Tzu observes how language and thought can lead us astray,
if we use them to contradict the natural processes of reality. Setting
a limit to his words at the onset is a powerful philosophical foundation
for the progression of his ideas.

An important lesson can be
drawn from the above analysis: philosophers typically seek to provide
a reasoned basis for their claims. Sometimes it is not obvious what that
basis is, but it is never wise to assume that a philosopher is writing
strictly from opinion or impulse. Lao Tzu' s thoughts are soundly based
and intricately connected. This is one reason why his philosophical vision
so successful survives.